This one's for the fat kids

I am running my first 10K this weekend! This is huge for me! 6.2 miles is far. . . reallllly freaking far, and I am RUNNING it. So here's some back story and my attempt at inspiring people like myself. I am not a natural born, physically fit person. Frankly, when it comes to any type of physical activity, biology is working against me. I am not a small person, have never been a small person, and will never be a small person. I'm fairly confident that if I was super skinny I would look like an alien because I have such large feet, hands, head, etc. Anyways, being larger makes it much more difficult to do physical activities. It's not an excuse. I'm not asking for people to feel sorry for me. It's simply a fact. The fat kid can't run as fast or do as many sit ups as the skinny kid. I wasn't fat because my parents fed me fast food or because I laid on the couch all weekend, I was just a naturally larger kid. So growing up, gym class was like sending me into the hot fires of hell. I hated it. And I think it's cruel and unusual punishment to make kids run a timed mile, or count the # of sit ups and pull ups they can do in front of their peers. It makes the fat kids DESPISE gym, when those are the ones you should be encouraging to love physical activity. Long story short, I did end up losing a bunch of weight in college just to gain it all back and then some once the celiac disease kicked in. Basically my whole life I have been overweight and not very physically fit. Pretty sure there hasn't been a day since probably 1st grade when I haven't thought about my weight. Again, not asking for pity, just simply a fact that I know a lot of other people can relate to. Finally, about a year and a half ago I decided I wanted to run a 5K. I've always worked out, pretty much since high school, just never anything super intense or challenging and I certainly wasn't able to run more than 10ft without wanting to die. I basically just made up my mind I wanted to run this 5K and was going to do it no matter what. I think it really is as simple as that. (This is where I am going to inspire you). What I learned is, I (and you) can do anything. It's a matter of making up your mind to do something and being willing to put in the work to get there. My particular focus here is on losing weight and getting healthy. Assuming you don't have any medical conditions, any overweight person CAN lose weight. And you CAN do it without surgery, disgusting canned drinks, or pills. You can learn to eat healthy and you can learn to be physically active but you have to be willing to do it. It's a hell of a lot harder for some us who don't naturally lose weight easily but it's not impossible. It is in your control and only your control. Maybe you're heavy because you parents were heavy but get over it. You can do something about it. It is 100% mental. You make up your mind and you never look back. It might be hard as hell, and painful at times, and time-consuming but if your sick of being uncomfortable in your own skin like I was then just do it. I promise, if I can run a 5K (and this was while being incredibly sick from all the celiac crap) you can do it to. Maybe your thing isn't running but find something and commit to doing it. You will thank yourself in the end. And you will realize how much more you are capable of mentally and physically than you ever imagined. No one has the right to bitch and complain about their situation unless they are doing something to change it. And while there is a good chance I will come in last, and I might not be able to move for the next week I will run this 10K and I will finish this 10K and I will prove to myself once more that I can do it. Weight wise, I still have long way to go but I can honestly say I have never felt better about myself and it make take a while, but I will get to my goal weight and I will enjoy every adventure on the way.